FORT WORTH, Texas — Hundreds of Beto O'Rourke supporters filled downtown Fort Worth Friday night as he and two other nominees gunning for the Democratic nomination for president make stops in Texas this weekend.
O'Rourke is by far Texas' most popular Democrat, barely losing his U.S. Senate race to Ted Cruz last year.
A big feat he accomplished involved turning Tarrant County blue in his race for the first time since 1994.
O'Rourke didn't forget that when he took the stage Friday night.
"It was the greatest thing I got to do in my lifetime, and I'm so grateful to the people of Fort Worth and Tarrant County for leading the way every step of the way," O'Rourke said.
Now that O'Rourke is running for president, he told WFAA that he thinks he can achieve a similar feat across the state and the U.S.
"If we can do that here in Texas, we can do that nationally," O'Rourke said.
And that achievement isn't going unnoticed. Bernie Sanders made a stop in Fort Worth last week.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is giving the keynote speech at the Dallas County Democratic Party's Johnson Jordan Dinner Friday.
Not to mention, former Housing Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is stumping for votes in Fort Worth this weekend.
It's safe to say that Texas is a battleground state for the Democratic Primary.
WFAA asked O'Rourke if he expects to claim a large portion of the state's delegates.
"At this point, with 10 months away from the primary, I don't know," O'Rourke said. "But being from Texas I'd like to think that I have an advantage."
A large amount of excitement followed O'Rourke's presidential announcement in March.
But that excitement has waned a bit now that former Vice President Joe Biden has entered the race.
Over the last few days, we've seen the O'Rourke campaign evolve from popularity to policy.
He just introduced a $5 trillion climate change plan that aims to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.
It's a bold plan, that would likely put a dent in Texas' economy which relies greatly on oil and gas.
One part of the plan is to focus on renewable energy and adopt zero-emission vehicles.
The Republican National Committee responded to that plan and O'Rourke's Fort Worth visit Friday with the statement below:
"Beto O’Rourke can jump on the all tables and counters he wants, his policies would still rob Texans out of their paychecks with his $5 trillion climate change initiative and support for government-run healthcare. Maybe he should be more grounded with Texans who are seeing all the benefits of the roaring economy thanks to President Trump and Republicans, like the lowered unemployment rate and the more than 500,000 jobs that have been added in Texas.” – RNC Spokesperson Christiana Purves
O'Rourke responded at the rally saying, "This moment of maximum peril in our country's history could become the moment of maximum promise if we're willing to see it through."
Before leaving, O'Rourke said more policy plans will come.
No doubt, more visits will too.
